Another vote for the Raynox 250 (or the 150 if you don't need that level of magnification) - great value for money. These shots of a tiny (1cm long) caterpillar were taken with the Tamron 90 and the Raynox 250 together but you can of course put the Raynoxs on most lenses to convert them to macro capability.

Why the 18-55 over the 16-50 John ? WR over a fantastic lens ?

I can see that so far your inoculation against LBA transmission is working well !

Dr O. I like that list a lot with the exception of the K35(in terms of focal length it's far too close to the 43 anyway). Depending on your intended use I'd swap that one out for a 31 Ltd / Sigma 30/1.4 or Contax Zeiss 28/2.8.

As posted in the 'Journey' thread :-

15 Ltd. (stuck on camera - impossible to remove),
Contax Zeiss 28/2.8 (landscape giant),
Signa 30/1.4 (wonderful creative low-light lens),
43 Ltd (incredibly sharp, great rendering),
Contax Zeiss 85/1.4 (portrait master),
Tamron 90 di (wonderful macro - another one with fantastic bokeh),
Sigma 50-150/2.8 (sharp, quiet, very fast HSM - great all-rounder),
DA*300 (what a stunning lens), AFA x1.7 (is there a better TC ? I don't think so).

That's 8 and if absolutely forced to drop one then it'd be the 43 Ltd but only because I use it less than the others and absolutely not a reflection on it's quality (it's probably the best lens on the list) !

55-300 without a second thought.

If you are going to Africa (safari) though you want to beg, borrow or steal (or rent) much better lenses !

You are going to love that 15 Ltd Robbie - my latest addition and a fantastic lens !

I think I have gone the traditional route, starting with zooms, progressing to M42 Taks and so on and then onto some gorgeous primes.

I'm now starting to trim the fat and will in future only add the best .... so hard saving is the order of the day !

Definitely staying will be :

Sigma 10-20 (for work, may change for the 8-16). 15 Ltd. (stuck on camera - impossible to remove), Contax Zeiss 28/2.8 (landscape giant), Signa 30/1.4 (wonderful creative low-light lens), 43 Ltd (incredibly sharp, great rendering), Voigtlander 50/1.8 (something different, gorgeous bokeh), Contax Zeiss 85/1.4 (portrait master), Tamron 90 di (wonderful macro - another one with fantastic bokeh), Sigma 50-150/2.8 (sharp, quiet, very fast HSM - great all-rounder), DA*300 (what a stunning lens), AFA x1.7 (is there a better TC ? I don't think so). Definitely a gap from 15-30 that needs filling and the 31 Ltd is such a different lens to the 30/1.4 that I could see a place for both. Other than that maybe the Voigtlander 90 and 125 and some experimentation with Leicas ? Hopefully Pentax will bring out some more Ltd primes !!

Now now ... careful you don't get yourself arrested as some sort of pervert, shooting young men's lycra encased backsides !

It happens Charlotte. Last year I was all macro & birds, this year people, sport, events (paid) and now just really starting to get into landscapes and long exposures (not stars !).

There are so many aspects to photography that once you pick something new that intrigues you then you want to learn the techniques involved and that's how we grow as those skills can over-flow into other genres.

How about HDR ? Or I'm sure there are lots of newbie models looking for free shoots (both ways) ? Maybe the local theatre or newspaper/magazines/free giveaways would like free shots ? What sport is going on close to home ? How about water drops into coloured water (not sure what that is called !), try using different filters (maybe in-camera to begin with and then lens filters) .. and so on.

Go and find something that sounds interesting and see how you get on

Very nice shot Don.

I totally disregard their comments / recommendations but the figures they give are a good and easy source for comparative purposes.